Synonyms of cons

cons 1 of 4

noun (1)

plural of con

as in prisoners

a person convicted as a criminal and serving a prison sentence

a program to help ex-cons find employment

Synonyms & Similar Words

• prisoners
• convicts
• inmates
• jailbirds
• trusties
• parolees
• captives
• lifers
• internees
• captures
• probationers

cons

2 of 4

noun (2)

plural of con

as in scams

an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value

the explanation was so plausible that I never suspected it was all a con to make off with my car

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scams
• frauds
• swindles
• hustles
• devices
• schemes
• shell games
• fiddles
• hoaxes
• tricks
• stings
• buncos
• flimflams
• rackets
• pyramid schemes
• Ponzi schemes
• fixes
• stratagems
• counterfeits
• sleights
• crosses
• wiles
• dodges
• rip-offs
• gimmicks
• phonies
• fakes
• jigs
• ploys
• thimblerigs
• forgeries
• shams
• three-card montes
• humbug

cons

3 of 4

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of con

1

as in studies

to commit to memory

usually candidates con their entire campaign speech, right down to the jokes they supposedly ad-lib

Synonyms & Similar Words

• studies
• learns
• memorizes
• knows
• remembers
• understands
• grasps
• retains
• accepts
• recalls
• thinks (of)
• minds
• harks back (to)
• gets
• comprehends
• recollects
• absorbs
• digests
• relives
• apprehends
• reminisces (about)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• forgets
• ignores
• neglects
• passes over
• disregards
• overlooks
• unlearns
• slurs (over)
• disremembers
• slights
• misremembers
• overpasses

2

as in reviews

to look over closely (as for judging quality or condition)

seemed to be conning his face for any sign of uncertainty

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reviews
• scans
• examines
• surveys
• inspects
• views
• audits
• watches
• scrutinizes
• analyzes
• goes over
• checks (out)
• oversees
• studies
• overlooks
• explores
• notices
• investigates
• dissects
• researches
• probes
• combs
• pores (over)
• peruses
• parses
• categorizes
• classifies
• observes
• delves (into)
• plumbs
• picks over
• reinspects
• rereviews
• resurveys

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• misses
• glances (at or over)
• skims

cons

4 of 4

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of con

1

as in hustles

to rob by the use of trickery or threats

a fly-by-night operator who had conned hundreds of would-be homeowners out of their hard-earned money

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hustles
• cheats
• squeezes
• plucks
• stings
• tricks
• sticks
• beats
• does
• screws
• swindles
• suckers
• deceives
• cozens
• shakes down
• fleeces
• shorts
• bleeds
• rips off
• mulcts
• bilks
• defrauds
• gaffs
• fiddles
• victimizes
• shortchanges
• skins
• exploits
• reams
• rooks
• chouses
• diddles
• chisels
• skunks
• stiffs
• fools
• hoses
• flimflams
• euchres
• thimblerigs
• nobbles
• does in
• takes to the cleaners
• betrays
• sells a bill of goods to
• wrenches
• takes for a ride
• clips
• extorts
• dupes
• milks
• nicks
• gouges
• overcharges
• wrings
• soaks
• gulls
• wrests
• bitches
• ropes (in)
• double-crosses
• bamboozles
• fast-talks

2

as in tricks

to cause to believe what is untrue

tried to con me into thinking that he had actually won the lottery

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tricks
• fools
• deceives
• kids
• dupes
• strings along
• suckers
• teases
• juggles
• cozens
• deludes
• hoodwinks
• fakes out
• hoaxes
• gaffs
• humbugs
• gulls
• misleads
• bluffs
• misinforms
• has on
• takes in
• cheats
• spoofs
• bamboozles
• misguides
• sucks in
• stings
• snookers
• snows
• does a number on
• hornswoggles
• has
• leads one down the garden path
• beguiles
• buffaloes
• gammons
• burns
• catches
• pulls one's leg
• swindles
• pulls the wool over one's eyes
• hustles
• sticks
• fleeces
• mulcts
• defrauds
• puts on
• shortchanges
• flimflams
• skins
• bleeds
• rooks
• chisels
• diddles
• euchres
• squeezes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reveals
• exposes
• debunks
• shows up
• uncovers
• unmasks
• discloses
• undeceives
• tells
• divulges
• unveils
• uncloaks
• disillusions
• disenchants
• disabuses

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cons

Noun

Men between 70 and 74 should talk to their doctors about the pros and cons of getting tested, the guidelines state, while men 75 and older, or those not expected to live another 10 years, should stop screening. — ABC News, 12 Nov. 2026

The handout compared the pros and cons of the vitamin K shot with oral vitamin K drops, noting that the drawbacks of the drops are that some babies may not be able to absorb them or may spit them up. — Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 8 Nov. 2026

As the website’s user base holds its breath over the future, these are some pros, cons, and big unknowns to consider about where Letterboxd is going. — J. Kim Murphy, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2026

Pros & cons Secured loans have an average APR discount of 20% compared to unsecured loans. — Dan Avery,jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026

Thankfully, dishwasher-safe options with materials like glass, silicone, and stainless steel have all the convenience and none of the cons. — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 29 Oct. 2026

The show has also progressed from a solely in-person experience to one with main-stage panels that are streamed live for fans around the world via YouTube — a move born out of the COVID-19 pandemic-era virtual cons that has stuck. — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

But there are also cons to buying a condo including sky-high HOA and parking fees, and emergency assessments, which could cost thousands of dollars. — Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Today, two social security experts tell us the pros and cons. — Adrian Ma, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026

Verb

Elsewhere, a gang of highway bandits cons an unsuspecting family into stopping by the roadside, only to violently kill them, burn their bodies, and strip their car for parts. — Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026

Keith arrests our thinking, and cons us into suppressing our critical faculties with the same kind of internalized surveillance that philosopher Michel Foucault broke down to describe a prison’s use of the panopticon in Discipline and Punish. — Literary Hub, 19 May 2026